A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to the golf industry. More particularly, the invention relates to golf bags. The invention has particular utility as a multi-functional, configurable, all-in-one or hybrid bag designed to be either carried off the ground, pulled along the ground by the user, or stowed on a power cart.
2. Background Information
The state of the art includes various devices and methods for carrying a golf bag, pulling a golf bag or carting a golf bag.
The known devices and methods are believed to have significant limitations and shortcomings. Specifically, pull carts are relatively heavy, bulky and time-consuming. They tend to be relatively heavy because of the extra framework used to rest and attach the golf bag. They tend to be bulky also due to the extra framework. For example, golfer(s) need to fit both their pull cart(s) and their golf bag(s) into their vehicle. This problem is exacerbated if multiple golfers travel in the same vehicle. Finally, the golf carts are time-consuming. They often require at least some assembly or manipulation at the golf course and require effort and time to attach the golf bag to the cart.
The present invention provides a golf bag which is believed to constitute an improvement over the known art.
The present invention provides a golf bag which generally comprises a conventional golf bag body with an open top and a closed bottom, a wheel mount attached to the bottom, at least two wheels rotatably connected to the wheel mount, and handle means that are attached to the golf bag body and are adapted for carrying and pulling the golf bag body.
At least two wheels extend outside of the periphery of the golf bag body. The wheels have a retracted position proximate to the periphery and an extended position away from the periphery. A wheel latching mechanism secures the wheels in the desired position, depending on whether the golf bag is being pulled or whether the golf bag is being carried, stowed in a powered golf cart, or stored. The wheel mount is formed with a wheel axle adapted to securely receive the two wheels.
The handle means includes a shoulder strap adapted to be used for carrying the golf bag body, and further includes a push pull handle. The push/pull handle is preferably rigid. The rigid push/pull handle has an extended position and a retracted position. A handle latching mechanism secures the rigid push/pull handle in the retracted position and in the extended position.
The golf bag body preferably includes a stand. The stand has a normally retracted position. The stand also has an extended position to enable the golf bag body to stand in a stable, unattended position, wherein the wheels and the stand rest on the ground. In one embodiment, the stand moves into and maintains the extended position when the golf bag body is set down. In another embodiment, the stand is extended by hand actuation by the user.
The golf bag of the present invention provides a bag that can be configured in a variety of sizes and shapes (from the smallest xe2x80x9cSundayxe2x80x9d bag to the largest xe2x80x9cCartxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cTourxe2x80x9d bag) to give golfer the option of either carrying or pulling his or her clubs, or riding in a powered golf cart wherein the golf bag is stowed (typically at the rear of the golf cart), and that eliminates the hassles of heavy and bulky pull carts including the time to attach and detach a bag to the pull cart and the extra vehicle space required to store and haul a pull cart.
The features, benefits and objects of this invention will become clear to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description, claims, and drawings.